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(ModeL) G. E. HYATT.

PBRMUTATION LOOK. I No. 394,273. Patented Dec. 11, 1888.

WITNESSES w I BY 8 I ATTORNEYS.

N PETERS, Phmmm m m, Washinglom n. c,

shown in Fig. l.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. HYATT, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

PERM UTATlON-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,273, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed May 1'7, 1888. Serial No. 274,133. (MocleL) T0 (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1', GEORGE E. IlYATT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Permutation- Lock, of which the followii'ig is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in combination-loeks especially adapted for use in connection with a letter-box, and has for its object to provide a simple and easilyananipulated device whereby the use of a key will be dispensed with.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fullyset forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a letter-box having mylock attached. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on line 00 ocof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the disks in position to permit the opening of the door, illustrating in dotted lines the locked position; and Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of a portion of the box-casing.

In carrying out theinvention the front casing of the letter-box is provided with an opening adapted to receive the door 11,which door is hinged to the casing, the walls of the opening and the edges of the door being rabbeted, so that when the door is closed the outer surface thereof will be flush with the outer surface of the box. From the upper wall of the casing-opening a lug, 12, is vertically projected, and at one side of the lug a recess, 13, is produced in the rabbet, as best In the upper edge of the door 11 there is a recess, 1%, adapted when said door is closed to receive the aforesaid casing-lug 12, as shown in Fig. 1.

Upon the inner side of the casing over the upper edge of the door a disk, 15, is pivoted, which disk is provided with a peripheral recess, 16, and below the disk 15 a second disk, 17, is pivoted to the inner face of the door, the latter disk being provided with a peripheral tooth, 18, and a slot, 19, adjoining said tooth, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The several disks are rotated by means of spindles and 21, which spindles, passing, respectively, through the casing and door, are riveted or otherwise secured at their inner ends to the respective disks. The spindles are provided with a collar, 22, adapted to restagainst the outer surface of the casing and door, and are further provided at their outer ends with an attached knob, Between the knob and the collar 22 the spindles are threaded, as shown at 27 in Fig.

Dials 25 and 26 are secured one to each spindle, adapted to revolve thereon adjacent to the collars 22. The upper dial upon its outer face is preferably provided with a series of numerals, commencing with 1 and ending with any predetermined number. The lower dial has preferably produced upon its outer face letters, which letters may be arranged in any desired manner. The respective dials 25 and 20 maybe locked in a fixed position with respect to the spindle by means of a lock-nut, 24, which lock-nut is adapted to travel upon the threaded surface of the spindles.

In operation, the lock-nuts 24: being loosened, the upper dial, 26, is revolved until any desired numberisbroughtopposite the lug] 2 as, for instance, 10, as shownand one of the letters in the lower dial likewise made to register with said lug, whereupon the locknut-s are screwed down and the dials held rigidly in contact with the spindle-collars 22. Thus the dials and spindles will rotate together. Prior to fixing the dials as aforesaid, the disks are arranged so that the door will readily open. The dials having been turned so as to lock the door, and it being desired to open the same, the spindle 21 is rotated until the letter C, for instance, upon the dial 25 is brought to the registering-point, whereupon the recess 19 in the lower dial, 17, is brought opposite the inner surface of the casinglug 12, as shown in Fig. 5). The upper spindle, 20, is now revolved until the figure 10 is broughtto the proper register,which causes the recess 16 inthe upper dial, 15, to register with the tooth 18 of the lower dial. This position of the dials having been assumed, it simply becomes necessary to pull the door outward, whereupon it will readily open. 'hen the door is locked, the several spindles are revolved in any direction which will remove the figure and the letter C from the point adjacent to their proper point of registry for opening.

It will be seeirtliat when the notched and toothed disk 17 is brought into position for-the lug 12 to pass through the notch therein the tooth will catch upon. the upper disk and prevent the door from being opened until the upper disk is also brought in position to permit the said tooth 18 to pass through the recess 16. This position is fully illustrated in Fig.

I do not confine myself to the particular means shown of locking the dial to the spindles, as other equivalent means may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the disks may be attached to the spindles by means of a nut or screw in such a manner that by loosening the same the position of the disks as to the dials may be readily changed.

By a device such as is above described the annoyance of a letter-box key is dispensed with, which keys are liable to be lost and ofttimes are very expensive to replace.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination,with a hinged door pro vided with a recess in one edge and a doorcasing provided with a lug adapted to enter said recess, of a rotary disk pivoted to the inner side of the casing, having a peripheral recess, and a second disk pivoted to the inner side of the door, provided with a peripheral tooth and a recess adjoining said tooth, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination,witha hinged door provided with a recess in one edge and a doorcasing provided with a lug adapted to enter said recess, of a rotating disk pivoted to the inner side of the casing, having a peripheral recess, a second disk pivoted to the inner side of the door, provided with aperipheral tooth and arecess adjoining said tooth, and spindles carrying dials projected through the doorcasing secured to said disks, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combinatiomwith a hinged door provided with a recess in one edge and a doorcasing provided with a lug adapted to enter said recess, of a rotating disk pivoted to the inner side of the casing having a peripheral recess, a second disk pivoted to the inner side of the door, provided with a peripheral tooth and a recess adjoining the said tooth, knobspindles projected through the door and casing and attached to said disks, dials held to revolve upon the said spindles, and alock-nut, also held upon the spindle, adapted to hold the dials in rigid contact with the spindles, substantially as shown and described.

GEORGE E. HYATT.

Vitnesses:

JOHN GRAHAM, THOMAS SMITH. 

